I’m Beside Myself!

I’m not often beside myself, but it does happen sometimes.  Last summer, I drove to the airport during a thunderstorm. When I was a few miles away from home, the storm grew worse, and I drove into the heaviest rain I have ever experienced. I couldn’t see anything!  I wanted to pull over and stop the car, but I couldn’t see the side of the road. I was afraid I might drive off into a ditch, so I just kept going very slowly. I’m glad I wasn’t alone. My son was with me, and he helped me stay calm. I was almost beside myself, but my son kept me from panicking.

Everyone is beside himself or herself at some time. If you are controlled by a powerful emotion, you are beside yourself. I was almost beside myself with fear, but you can be beside yourself with joy, excitement, worry, grief, anger, or any other emotion.

Example sentences:

• Teresa’s dog is missing, and she’s beside herself with worry.
• Bill was beside himself with jealousy when he saw his girlfriend with another man.
• The boss is so angry he’s beside himself.
• Mrs. Walker is very pleased with her new grandson; she’s beside herself!

This phrase can be used with any reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves). Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object in a sentence are the same.

There are other phrases that use reflexive pronouns:

• make yourself at home = relax and be comfortable
• help yourself = take what you like
• enjoy yourself =  have a good time
• be yourself = let your true nature show
• take care of yourself = stay healthy, be safe, get rest
• behave yourself = follow the rules, be polite

According to this cartoon, there’s one more way to be beside yourself – clone yourself!

from Cyanide and Happiness http://www.explosm.net/comics/2174/

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Tell me about a time when you were beside yourself.

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